Alice Huang used her relationship with Jensen Huang to move 240,000 Nvidia chips worth $7.5 billion to China: Report
Alice Huang, the alleged Chinese spy with whom Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has admitted to having an extramarital affair, may have helped Beijing evade Joe Biden-era US export restrictions and get their hands on some of the most advanced semiconductors, The Information has reported.
Alice Huang was a top executive of Megaspeed, a Singapore-based neocloud company which was spun off from the Chinese game developer 7Road Holdings Ltd. Since 2023, Megaspeed, which was also a part of the Nvidia Partner Network, has emerged as one of its biggest customers in Southeast Asia.
It is suspected that Megaspeed, which is currently owned by a shell company registered in the name of two Singapore citizens, was a front to buy export-restricted chips for China. According to The Information, Jensen Huang's years-long ties to Alice Huang may have helped to enable the sale of at least 240,000 Nvidia chips with an estimated worth of $7.5 billion to China from 2023.
Quick answers to key questions
•5 QUESTIONS
1
How many Nvidia chips were reportedly routed to China through the alleged network?⌵The Information reported that at least 240,000 Nvidia chips, mostly H100 and H200 GPUs, were allegedly moved to China from 2023. Their estimated value was about $7.5 billion.
2
What role did Megaspeed allegedly play in routing Nvidia chips to China?⌵Megaspeed, a Singapore-based Nvidia customer, is suspected of acting as a front to acquire export-restricted chips and reroute them to China. The report said about $4.6 billion worth of AI chips were imported through Megaspeed from 2023 to 2025.
3
Which companies were reportedly linked to the Nvidia chip shipments to China?⌵Reports also named Shanghai Century Litong and Malaysia-based Speedmatrix. The Information estimated that another $2 billion worth of chips was routed through Speedmatrix.
4
Why were Nvidia AI chips restricted from being exported to China?⌵US export controls were introduced to slow China's progress in AI and limit potential military uses of advanced computing technology. The restrictions barred sales of Nvidia's most advanced AI chips to China.
5
What are US authorities investigating about Megaspeed and Nvidia chips?⌵US authorities have scrutinised Megaspeed over suspicions that it helped Chinese firms evade export controls. Nvidia's board has appointed an independent committee to review whether company secrets or national security interests were compromised; it said there was no reason to believe they had been so far.
The Information also reported that Alice Huang, who was the managing director of Megaspeed for eight months in 2023, used a web of companies to buy and reroute the Nvidia chips, mostly H100s and H200s, to China.
Other companies involved are said to be Shanghai Century Litong, which was founded in June 2023, and became an Nvidia preferred cloud partner in October, two weeks after the US banned the sale of A800 and H800 to China.
Shanghai Century Litong was founded by a shareholder that was ultimately under the control of Huang Yu, the sister of Alice Huang, whose Chinese name is Huang Le.
Another entity involved is Speedmatrix, a Malaysia-based data processing and hosting infrastructure company, with direct links to Megaspeed.
The Information noted that an estimated $4.6 billion worth of AI chips were imported through Megaspeed from 2023 to 2025, with another $2 billion routed through Speedmatrix. Shanghai Century Litong also bought GPUs from other sources, with the assistance of Alice Huang, with the total value of the GPUs acquired estimated to be around $7.5 billion.
The New York Times also reported that in 2024, the US Commerce Department opened an investigation after an official visited a Malaysian data center owned by Megaspeed and found Nvidia equipment still in boxes rather than installed in racks.
In a related development, last month, Malaysian customs seized about $12.11 million worth of advanced artificial intelligence chips that were being smuggled through the country's main airport.
On October 15, authorities found 30 server units containing advanced AI chips during an inspection at Kuala Lumpur International Airport's free trade zone, the airport's customs director Aspalila Ag Tuah told reporters.
Initial investigations found that the shipment, originating from an Asian country, was to be re-exported to another nation in the continent, a move that required a trade permit, she was quoted as saying by Reuters.
"The servers were falsely declared as electronic components... and shipped through Malaysia to ensure there would be no restrictions imposed while being exported to the next destination," Aspalila said.
Bobins loves telling the human side of all stories, from the intersection of geopolitics, international relations, and conflicts around the world. In his nearly one-and-a-half-decade career as a journalist, Bobins has covered South Asia, the Middle East, and North America, from elections to mass protests and conflicts. <br> Bobins has also done extensive reporting on environmental issues, climate change, and sustainability, focusing on solutions and people working to make the planet a better place to live. <br> In 2018, Bobins was awarded by Times Internet for the impact of his story on Delhi tree cuttings. Bobins also loves telling the stories of Indian startups and the journey of their founders. <br> Total Years of Experience: 14 <br> Years of experience at LM: Bobins has been a part of Live Mint since February 2026 <br> Interests: When he is not tracking conflicts, Bobins loves to cook, travel across India, click photos, and watch documentaries on history. Past Experience: Before joining Live Mint, Bobins worked with The Indian Express, where he led the Global Breaking News coverage, Indiatimes, where he led the news team, covering everything trending, ANI, where the focus of his coverage was South Asia, and NBS News. <br> Current Role: Bobins is currently working as an Assistant Editor at Live Mint.
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